TWO vagrants have become community heroes after they successfully tracked down a thief, locked him up in a shipping container, recovered several stolen items and then handed him over to the Durban North SAPS. The incident occurred in the early hours of this morning after a security guard and workers involved in the construction of the new pier on La Lucia beach noticed a number of items had been stolen.
Among the items were the security guard’s bag, which contained R150, his ID and wallet, as well as clothing and shoes from the construction workers.
Jabu Dume and his friend Siya said they tracked footprints from the scene of the crime into the mangroves where the thief had fallen asleep with the loot.
“We saw his footprints in the sand and followed them. When we saw him he woke up surprised, we grabbed him and took him back to the construction site and handed back the stolen items to the workers and security guard,” said a beaming Siya.
“We locked him up in the container and then waited for the police to come. We don’t want tsotsi’s (criminals) here and we will make sure nobody steals from the residents or the workers.”
